Inside People - Behind the smile of Emily Bochenek

By Linsey Esterly, Mia Privratsky and Aaron Acosta

Mountaineer

Posted:
10/19/2017 08:09:05 AM MDT

Emily Bochenek has a passion for life.

Many might be used to seeing Emily Bochenek walking down the hallways, wearing a polka-dotted dress with a big smile on her face. But not a lot of people know anything about Bochenek beyond her appearance and as a person.

In her three years of teaching at Estes Park High School, Bochenek has learned a lot about herself as well as the students.

"You have to be the type of teacher you're meant to be," said Bochenek. "You have to honor who you are, not only as a person, but in your teaching style. Being authentic with my students has definitely made me a better teacher," she said.

Bochenek initially came to Estes Park to work at the YMCA with a leadership training program.

"I had never really been out west; I grew up in Ohio," she said. "I was convinced that I was going to stay in Ohio and live a nice suburban life and teach in one of the Columbus schools. But coming up that summer, I found so much freedom and peace in the mountains," she added.

As well as living in the mountains, she had accomplished one of her childhood dreams — she got her teaching degree.

"I knew in third grade that I wanted to be a teacher," said Bochenek. "Because, even when I was a kid, I was good with kids who were younger than me. And my brother has autism so I think that very early on I learned that responsibility," she said.

Bochenek teaches a variety of subjects in the school, from special education classes to future planning to Student Council and a lot in between.

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Anyone who is familiar with Bochenek knows about her bubbly personality and the positive energy she gives off every single day. It is one of her defining characteristics.

"I just am happy every day. I love my job, I love where I'm at. I'm very self reflective and I think that might help with that. I'm always future oriented and I have a growth mindset. Walking these halls and helping these students is my pride and joy," she said.

Bochenek has many life philosophies that help keep her positive mindset, like taking care of herself and following her heart no matter what, like her mom taught her to.

Bochenek says that if she could improve herself at school, she would be more organized.

"While my planning is organized, I have a very scattered brain and I'm always thinking of ten new ideas at once," she siad. "I just get so excited, so sometimes it's just really hard for me to pull in and focus on one specific thing at a time. I've found that writing stuff down really helps, I just want to be less scatterbrained."

Bochenek has quite the life outside of school. She enjoys outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, riding bikes and also plans to hike in the national parks of the lower 48 States before she turns 30. She loves sitting in coffee shops, reading books, and journaling. She has a goal to go to one concert every month, and she plays ukulele and tuba.

So next time you see Bochenek walking down the hall with a big smile on her face, you'll understand why: she is truly happy. In the words of Emily Bochenek, "These hallways and students are my pride and joy."

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